Federal agents arrested Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud at gunpoint in the Twin Cities after he allegedly took possession of a rifle and ammunition he intended to use in a terrorist attack at the Mall of America.
According to Alpha News, which covered a U.S. Attorney announcement of a significant counterterrorism action in Minnesota on Wednesday, federal authorities have charged Mohamud with plotting a mass-casualty attack in support of ISIS at the Mall of America later this month. He allegedly hoped to kill “30 to 60 people.”
Reports of the federal case identify Mohamud as an 18-year-old Somali “American.”
The criminal complaint and 23-page affidavit of FBI Special Agent Keegan Rupenthal were unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minnesota.
Mohamud is charged under 18 U.S.C. § 924(h) with knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition on or about October 6, 2026, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe they would be used to commit a felony and a federal crime of terrorism, including providing, attempting to provide, and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The weapon listed in the complaint is a Norinco AK-47, model Mac-90 Sporter, serial number 94145360, plus roughly 200 live rounds of 7.62×39 ammunition. The FBI rendered the rifle inert before the handoff. The ammunition was live. He never got the chance to use either.
According to the affidavit, the Minneapolis Joint Terrorism Task Force opened the case in December 2024 after Mohamud began trading hundreds of messages with a confidential human source on Telegram, Signal, Discord, TikTok, and later SimpleX. Handles included “@misterdoon,” “Mister Miser,” “mistermister,” “misterman240,” and a Discord account named “baaqiyah_31485,” “baaqiyah” being an ISIS slogan meaning the caliphate remains.
